Top 10 Scams of the decade # 6 - Phishing

This scam has been around most of the decade and even before.  Phishing got its start as "Social Hacking", using a phone call to get a piece of information.  Kevin Mitnik used the techinque to gain access to computer and phone systems.   Much like real fishing, phishing relies on putting the bait into the water as many times as possible.   The use of spam and social media allows phishing scams to reach millions of peple and if only a small percentage take the bait, the scam has done its job.

Phishing is a by product of SPAM.   Without SPAM, phishing would not have the reach and effectiveness that it has.  Today, most instances of phishing come into our inboxes.   Typically the email poses as an email from a trusted institution such as a bank, an ISP, the IRS, FBI, etc.   Phishing starts its mind control by first scaring the target.  Then finishes by haing the victim enter in the rewuested information on a rouge web site.  

So how can you tell the difference between a trusted comany and a phishing scam?
1) Spelling and grammatical errors.
2) Unrecognized links or links to numbers.   Check the before clicking.   The use of URL shorteners has made this more diffiicult. 
3) Asking for information that should not be asked in an email, such as Social security number or account information.
4) Grainy pictures or inconsistent font faces or other indicators of poor quality.
5) Use software that compares the email to known phishing scams.   Google gmail and others are incorporating that into their service.

The FTC provides this advice:  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt127.shtm

Also check wikipedia for a complete definition with some examples.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing

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